


Corridors

by evelyndepp



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry's POV, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 15:06:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3982597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelyndepp/pseuds/evelyndepp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You've taken to walking the corridors at night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Corridors

You've taken to walking the corridors at night.

 Your younger self used to do that, getting out of bed after the curfew, with his map and his cloak, and running into the waiting arms of yet another adventure.

 There's no cloak now, no maps and no running. Your heartbeat is steady, not infected with adrenalin, and you walk, and walk, and walk, until you stop. You stop and try to feel yourself.

  _Are you tired enough yet? Will you be able to sleep now? An hour? Twenty minutes? Can you do it tonight?_

 Sometimes you think you can, so you walk back, and fall into your bed, and wait until sleep takes you. Sometimes it does.

 You've never thought yourself self-centred, but now you can't help but wonder, because the castle at night reminds you of yourself. It's as drained of life as you are, as bruised and battered and still bleeding in places despite the visible scratches long gone. It's playing pretend, like you do, it's alive and breathing and looks exactly like it used to by day, but you walked these corridors for years before the war, long enough to recognize the change that comes over it by night. It gives up pretending, and you finally allow yourself to do it too.

 But tonight, you aren't the only one awake. Tonight he's here, and you freeze as soon as you see him, leaning against the wall near one of the empty classrooms of the Northern Wing. You stop dead in your tracks, and he turns to look at you.

 

_You don't understand yourself. It's not the sixth year again and you're not that boy anymore, obsessing over something you couldn't understand, so you let it drive you mad. You spied, you raged, you stared, you asked yourself a million questions except the one you really should have._

  _You're lying now, though, because you think you do. Finally, you do understand yourself, and it's earth-shattering._

  _Or not at all._

  _He's been looking at you. You think it reminds you of the way you look at him now, but you can't be sure. Has he always looked at you like this?_

_He reminds you of the castle, of yourself, except that he doesn't seem to do pretending. He's as shattered and detached and alone as you are, but he doesn't cover it. You look at him and your hands twitch. You want to hold, to warm, to help. You look at him and your heart flutters. You want to approach, to feel, to touch, but you don't think you can. He wouldn't allow you._

  _Does he know you've been looking at him, too?_

 

 Now, you're standing in an empty, half-dark corridor and realize you're completely alone with him for what seems like the first time since you two were eleven years old, scared but putting on a brave face in the Forbidden Forest. Still, you can't make yourself move.

 You stay put as he approaches you, closer and closer still. You've never seen him out of his formal robes or a Quidditch gear, and he looks... soft, clad in a grey cotton t-shirt and similar pyjama bottoms. You can't help yourself. Your hand flies to his face and he freezes, only a few inches away from you now. All bravery gone, he looks at you wide-eyed. You keep your hand on his cheek.

 Has a whole minute passed? An hour, a day? You look at each other and you're both terrified, you know you are. You don't look away when finally, _finally_ he reaches for you, too, and his shaking fingers gently grip a loose strand of hair fallen onto your eyes and tuck it behind your ear. You watch him drop his gaze, and now it's your turn to be brave. He found you here, he waited for you, he hoped. _He did, didn't he? There isn't much to presume now_. Now, he's looking at your mouth, so you do what you should've done ages ago - you lean in. Your lips press lightly to his, and you wait. Nothing happens for five long seconds, and then he  _groans._ He clutches you and pulls you into him and kisses you so desperately you sway on the spot. You grip his head between your hands and kiss back with all you've got.

 And you feel. _Finally_ , you feel.

 You know he does, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what this is, to be honest. I couldn't sleep, so i made Harry suffer with me.  
> Hope you enjoyed x
> 
> http://margaryes.tumblr.com/


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